First of all, the title is piggy-backing on a popular meme, I speak English long enough to know when to say “more important”, so don’t even bother correcting me.
Second, this is true. I mean, the title. New beginnings are fundamental, but they can’t exist outside honest endings.
Let me tell you a story about this…
Running Around
We’re going to start with the featured picture of this post. As you can see, there are 2 medals in it. The first one is for an 82 ultra-marathon, EcoTrail de Madrid, and the second one for a marathon, the one organized in Valencia. Both were received in 2019.
Looking back, I can say 2019 was my first full year as location independent. Just a few months before, in October 2018, I was leaving Romania to move in Valencia.
In 2020, because of the pandemic, I didn’t run at all. Well, I tried once on the roof of my building, during the first lockdown, but the neighbor from below was openly dissatisfied with that.
But before these events, between 2012 and 2018, I extensively ran in Romania (and a few other countries, like France, Greece, Austria and Italy) mixing marathons with ultra-marathons. On a normal year I would participate in at least 2 marathons and 2 ultra-marathons, squeezing in some sub-marathon races too, every once in a while. The picture below shows the medal support I had just before leaving Romania, in October 2018.
Now, when I packed my suitcases (I really left with only 2 suitcases), there wasn’t enough room to pack the medals too. They were too heavy and there were more important items to pack anyway. So, I left them at my parents house. As far as I know they are still there.
You see, switching from living in Romania (even traveling quite frequently, as I was doing back then) to living in a new country, to adapting to a new culture, to a new entourage, comes with a cost. I had to tone down many activities that were part of my regular routine, and running was among them.
That’s why, 3 years after, I have only 2 medals. Because I participated in only 2 races.
My lifestyle changed in such a way that it allowed just a specific amount of running and it was ok. It wasn’t a “renunciation”, I didn’t feel it as a sacrifice or whatever, it was simply adapting to a new space, to a new lifestyle.
And leaving the other medals in Romania was an honest ending.
Running Again
But these 2 races are also part of a new beginning. For the last two years I was slowly reintroducing running in my routine. I am living in Lisbon now, and I signed up for Lisbon’s marathon, in October.
That’s a new beginning. I feel motivated, I feel refreshed and I enjoy running again a lot.
And that’s because the separation between the 2 stages was clean.
Assumed.
Unequivocal.
Unashamed.
Honest.
Just like any ending should be in our lives if we would like to make room for authentic new beginnings.
And now, you probably realized this post wasn’t about running.
